Apocalyptic images showing the impact of the 8.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile and killed 12 are staggeringly similar to photos from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, which killed almost 16,000.

A series of aftershocks, including one measuring 7.0 magnitude and three above 6, shook Chile following Wednesday's quake, considered to be the world's strongest so far this year and the biggest to hit the quake-prone nation since 2010.

The homes of 610 people were reportedly damaged to the point where they were unable to return, according to government data. While 179 homes were destroyed, 87,600 remained without electricity and 9,000 without clean water, Reuters reported.

The government ordered evacuations from coastal areas after the quake hit for fear that any delay could trigger a repeat of a 8.8 magnitude quake disaster in 2010 which killed over 500 people and destroyed 220,000 homes. That fatal quake released so much energy that it shortened the Earth's day by a fraction of a second by affecting the planet's rotation.